The Kings’ Anze Kopitar, left, is defended by the Ducks’ Hampus Lindholm during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Kings’ Michael Amadio, right, celebrates his goal with teammate Austin Wagner during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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The Ducks’ Carter Rowney, right, celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Kings’ Michael Amadio, left, scores past Ducks goaltender John Gibson during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Ducks’ Carter Rowney, right, shoots and scores against the Kings during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Kings’ Trevor Lewis, center, prepares to shoot between the Ducks’ Max Jones, left, and goaltender John Gibson during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Ducks’ Rickard Rakell, right, reaches for the puck next to the Kings’ Michael Amadio during the second period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg, left, shoots as the Kings’ Michael Amadio defends during the second period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Ducks’ Daniel Sprong (11) celebrates after scoring against the Kings during the second period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Kings goaltender Jack Campbell gives up a goal on a shot from the Ducks’ Daniel Sprong during the second period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Kings goaltender Jack Campbell, bottom, lays out to stop a shot on goal under the Ducks’ Devin Shore, top left, and the Kings’ Paul LaDue during the second period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Kings goaltender Jack Campbell stops a shot in front of the Ducks’ Adam Henrique during the first period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Ducks’ Korbinian Holzer (5) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of Friday’s game at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Anaheim Ducks’ Rickard Rakell, right, reaches for the puck next to Los Angeles Kings’ Michael Amadio (10) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 5, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) stops a shot from Los Angeles Kings’ Jeff Carter (77) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 5, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Anaheim Ducks’ Sam Steel, right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, April 5, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

ANAHEIM — The Kings helped the Ducks hang the “Gone Fishing” sign on Honda Center on Friday. The Vegas Golden Knights will do the same for the Kings on Saturday at Staples Center. An offseason of reckoning begins for each vacation-bound team this weekend.

Before they wrapped up their 2018-19 season, the Ducks took a 5-2 victory from the Kings and then called it a day. The Stanley Cup playoffs once seemed like an annual rite of spring for the Ducks, but this will be the first time they’ve missed out on the postseason in seven seasons.

The Kings have advanced to the playoffs only twice in five years since winning the second of their two Stanley Cup championships in a three-season span. Their rebuilding efforts, which will be just as intense as the Ducks’ and maybe more so, begin after their season finale against the Golden Knights.

Carter Rowney, Korbinian Holzer, Daniel Sprong, Sam Steel and Jakob Silfverberg scored for the Ducks, who completed their 25-year anniversary in the NHL with a three-game winning streak, a 14-11-1 mark since General Manager Bob Murray became the interim coach and an overall record of 35-37-10.

Silfverberg’s goal was his team-leading 24th, a career high.

John Gibson made 44 saves for the Ducks, who dropped the season series to the Kings 1-2-1.

“Mixed emotions, all over the place, not a whole lot of fun,” Silfverberg said. “These last few weeks have been feeling pretty good. Our whole team has been playing really well. Right now it doesn’t do too much. In a few weeks, looking back to it, it’s something to be proud of. At this time, it doesn’t do much.”

Michael Amadio and Carl Grundstrom scored for the Kings (30-42-9). Amadio has two goals and five points in six games since he was recalled from the Ontario Reign of the AHL on March 24. Grundstrom scored his fifth goal in his 14th game in the NHL, and his third in three games against the Ducks.

“He’s really played well for us whenever he’s been up this year,” Kings defenseman Alec Martinez said of Amadio. “He’s a good, young centerman. He’s a smart player. He can make good plays. It’s good to see him getting a couple of goals and he clearly can finish as well.”

The next order of business for the Ducks is bolstering the roster of their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, in time for the regular season’s final three games plus the Calder Cup playoffs to follow. Several of the Ducks’ rookies are likely to be re-assigned to the Gulls as early as Saturday.

One of those rookies, Max Jones, showed he was ready to take a significant stride in his budding career no matter whether it’s in Anaheim or San Diego. Jones set up Rowney’s tying first-period goal and then Holzer’s strike in the second that gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead.

On the first goal, Jones sent a no-look backhanded pass to a cutting Rowney, who slammed the puck into the back of Jack Campbell’s net at 14:02 of the opening period. On the second, Jones found Holzer cutting toward the net from the left point for Holzer’s first goal since April 2, 2017.

Sprong extended the Ducks’ lead to 3-1 with a laser past Campbell’s shoulder for his 14th goal since Murray acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Marcus Pettersson on Dec. 3, back when the Ducks were competitive and playing like a playoff team.

Steel made it 4-1 with a short-handed goal in the third period, a tap-in after Silfverberg skated skillfully around a pack of flatfooted Kings and delivered a flawless cross-ice pass to his teammate near the left goal post.

The Ducks’ downfall this season wasn’t swift, but it was certain. They lost 19 of 21 games, spiraling toward the bottom of the NHL’s overall standings, and Murray fired Randy Carlyle and stepped behind the bench Feb. 10 to learn more about his malfunctioning team.

In time, the Ducks regained their competitive spirit and their pride, mixed with some energetic play from rookies such as Jones, Steel, Jacob Larsson and Troy Terry, lifted them in the standings. Their victory over the Kings, last in the Pacific, moved them into fifth in the division.

“We’ve gotten used to playing in the playoffs and having those stretch drives where we’re competing for spots,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “When you’re out that early and that far behind, it’s a tough way to play hockey. It’s a terrible feeling.”

Elliott Teaford covers the Anaheim Ducks for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. He covered the Ducks for 12 years, including the Stanley Cup season, for the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze before returning to the beat in 2018 for SCNG. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.

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